j5create - USB4 Dual 4K Multi-Port Hub - Space Gray/Black

I have 2 external monitors and only 2 usb-c ports on my laptop. One of the ports is for power. So this adapter worked perfectly for my needs.

THE USB-C hub for the ROG Ally. Would definitely recommend.

Since the deployment of the USB-C port on computers, quality hubs have become a must have accessory. In my opinion, one of the best features of the USB-C standard is that it offers a one cable solution to set up multiple displays. The 100W of power delivery is enough to power a laptop, power the hub, and provide power to the ports. Remember that it is pass-through power, which means that the hub must be connected to a power adapter in order to pass the power to your laptop. I would recommend using the most powerful adapter you have up to 100W. This is because the hub needs 15W to operate, so the maximum power it will actually deliver is 85W. Thai will not be a problem for most laptops, but if your compact laptop only came with a smaller adapter you might have problems if it needs a specific wattage to properly operate, which some compact laptops do. What really sets this hub apart from other hubs is the inclusion of a USB4 controller. This is what allows the use of dual 4K display outputs. It accomplished this by upping the bandwidth. Even if you don’t have a video card that is 4K capable I think that the higher bandwidth will be beneficial to anyone. Another thing that I really like about this hub is that it is completely plug and play and does not require the user to manually download a driver. All that is necessary is to connect it and windows automatically detects the hub and configures the driver. Having to manually download a driver can be a problem if you are trying to use it with a work device that you don't have administrator privileges on to install a new device. Thankfully that will never be an issue with this hub. This j5create does everything you would expect from it, and does it well. It looks good, has a nice number of ports, and is small enough to easily transport. It is perfect for someone who travels a lot or someone that doesn’t need more than 2 displays. If you need a 3 monitor set up or need to connect a large number of devices, then you might want to get a larger hub that has 3 display outputs and more ports. This hub will now be my primary hub to take when I travel.

I found this to be a very well made, high quality unit. Precision made in Taiwan, and looks and feels of top notch construction and materials. There is nothing looking shabby or second class about this device. It comes with a good warranty, and extension of warranty comes when you register your purchase, which was easily accomplished online. You can easily set up a two monitor display setup. This is a high-performance USB4 multi-port hub, said to be the first USB-C hub to incorporate the latest USB4 controller from Intel. The hub is compatible with Thunderbolt and older USB specifications. Supported by latest operating systems: MacOS 11/12/13 (Ventura) and Windows 10/11. This will NOT work on your M1 or M2 Macintosh for adding two additional monitors however. Mac computers with the M1 and M2 chip will only support 1 external display, in addition to the builtin display. But this greatly expands your screen real estate beyond the built in 13" screen when you are at your workstation. So it accomplishes the function of the Duet app, which will add an iPad as a second display, for a more portable setup. I have an MacBookAir M1 (2020) so my usage was with only one external monitor. This was an excellent replacement of the iPad adjacent to the laptop, using the Duet app. I could have a Numbers spreadsheet being displayed adjacent, for reference, allowing simple glancing between the document and the spreadsheet, without doing a Cntrl/Tab to switch the two documents. Having it on a larger monitor than the 10" iPad saved a lot of eye strain and fatigue. A Macintosh computer with M1Pro, M1 Max, or M1 Ultra chip WILL support 2 external displays. With up to 20Gbps of throughput, for data and display flow, you can easily create a dual-monitor setup. You get up to 4K resolution using DisplayPort, HDMI, or USB-C and access data faster without affecting system performance. Additionally, it has two USB SuperSpeed+ 10Gbps ports (1 USB-C and 1 Type-A) for charging or connecting peripherals. It is also equipped with a USB-C Power Delivery port to charge your laptop and power your connected devices with up to 85W pass-through power to charge your computer, with up to 100W PD input to power all your peripherals concurrently. I could not tell from the enclosed literature if the Hub could tolerate greater than 100W of power input, but I'm sure j5Create customer support would quickly answer you if you have a very high power input (like the Apple 140W unit). Supports extended desktop mode on both MacOS and Windows so your desktop flows from the laptop to the external monitor. Featuring Intel USB4 Controller, latest generation which enhances dynamic bandwidth sharing for better video and optimized data transmission 5 ports to allow for maximum utilization of all your attached peripherals: 1) Line input up to 100W PD via a USB-C port, with pass through of up to 85W to your computer's power input port. 2) Adjacent to that is a USB-C (USB4) Data 10Gbps + USB-C 4K @ 60Hz Display output. 3) Next in line is a USB-A 10 Gbps. output 4) HDMI™ 4K @ 60Hz for TV 5) off the far end is a 4K Display Port socket The 6" pigtail that plugs into your computer power input USB-C input connect the Hub to your computer. Built-in a Multi-Function USB-C Port Multi-function USB-C port supports up to 4K display and 10Gbps data transfer. Let you connect hubs, docks, display, flash-drive, and other USB-C devices you need High-Speed PD Pass-Through Charging Charges your laptop and provides power to connected peripherals with up to 85W of PD pass-through charging. Apple has released power units with increasing power, up to 140W, beyond what comes stock with the purchase of your laptop. The 140W USB-C Power Adapter marketed to go with the 16-inch MacBook Pro (2021).

It’s hard to get fired up about something as innocuous as a hub…it either works or it doesn’t. So does this one work—definitely…precisely as advertised! Whether it’s the hub for you or not depends entirely on how you feel about the price, design, and most importantly, the kind of number of ports. In terms of design, this j5create hub isn’t exactly what you’d call svelte. Sure, it’s portable and should tuck neatly into any bag or case, but it’s slightly on the larger side compared to some competitors’ offerings. I have it pictured next to my ASUS ZenBook Flip S13 and as you can see it takes up a somewhat sizeable chunk of real estate next to the 2-in-1. The captive 8” USB-C pigtail is fairly thick and feels high quality, but it’s surprisingly quite flexible. Yet, at *only* 8 inches long, nearly all of the pigtail cable requires a pretty substantial bend if you want easy access to the ports or to fold it out of the way of your mousing hand or anything else you normally keep close to your machine. A slightly longer cable, or better still, a modular cable that disconnected from the hub and allowed you to choose your cable length for optimal placement, would have been greatly appreciated. It also would have been nice if at least one of the ends had the option of a 90-degree connector for strain relief; the connection point at the hub end especially only has a small collar to help reduce the effects of long-term cable strain and bends. The enclosure feels solid but is still a bit on the lighter side which means it will move around fairly easy when plugging/unplugging cables or dongles; there are no bumpers or feet so I do not know what prolonged use and movement on a table or desktop might slowly do to the pristine finish. The aluminum construction, side ventilation slots, and shallow side heat fins help with heat dissipation when the hub is pushing a dense video signal or two—and the hub does get warm to the touch during such heavy use. The top of the enclosure features lightly etched “j5create” and “USB4” logos; text indicating the function of each port is printed next to each port opening on the bottom of the enclosure…it’s a very professional and uncluttered look and would be perfectly at home next to a high-powered Mac or professional workstation. Finally, getting down to ports and performance, it’s honestly just a bit of a mixed bag. First, you probably need to note the physical layout of the hub. The DP output is at the end of the hub while the USB-C power delivery input, USB-C 10Gbps data/DP output, USB-A, and HDMI ports are on the side. Depending on where your power brick is located and where you need to snake one of those often beefier and inflexible DP cables, you might end up having your USB or HDMI ports in an inconvenient place, especially if you plug/unplug dongles, thumb drives, or video cables fairly often. All video ports, including the DP-out via the USB-C port, are capable of outputting up to 4K resolution at 60Hz; however, if you connect dual displays, the hub only supports a maximum of 4K at 30Hz to TWO monitors which was slightly disappointing given the way this hub is marketed. The USB-C “Power In” port is exactly that, a PD3.0 port that is just for power delivery; sadly, you cannot hook a drive/dongle or data cable to this port and expect it to do anything. The hub can handle a maximum of 100W through the PD port with 85W of pass-through; this means a beefy enough connected power adapter will feed juice for both attached peripherals and charge up your computer. Both the USB-A and USB-C data throughput is rated up to 10Gbps which was REALLY nice for high-speed file transfers, especially to my NVMe-based USB-C drives. Unless I’m reading it wrong, the manual implies that if you’re not using high-power USB devices, you don’t need to plug an adapter into the power delivery port to use the hub; but using the Thunderbolt 4 port on my ASUS ZenBook, the Thunderbolt 3 port on my HP Omen laptop, and the USB-C port on my Steam Deck, I could not get a simple USB 2.0 headphone dongle to connect using the hub…but as soon as I plugged in a power adapter to the hub’s PD port, the dongle synced right up with my headphones…YMMV. Fortunately, video connection was driverless and quick…I pulled up my Windows 11 desktop on our 4K TV via HDMI and USB-C using a USB-C to HDMI converter cable almost immediately once I adjusted Window’s settings to detect/extend to an external display. I noticed no dropouts, stutters, or other digital artifacts during 4K desktop and video streaming all evening long. My main PC display is a 3440x1600 ultra-wide; my ZenBook found it using the hub’s DP connection immediately. I was also pleasantly surprised to discover that the video output from my Steam Deck was smooth, colorful, and absolutely rock solid during gaming. Using the j5create hub, I was able to get the deck to display on our 4K TV and connect to my Xbox Elite 2 controller via wireless dongle (quicker and more stable than Bluetooth)…if you need a single hub that you can take from work to play, this one is it! I wish the hub had at least one more USB-C or USB-A port (or both) for peripherals, and the omission of a high-speed Ethernet jack seems a bit glaring given that many such hubs are often used with ultra-thin laptops/notebooks that rarely feature Ethernet ports anymore, but the high-speed USB4 capabilities and the stable, artifact-free video performance of the j5create hub make it a little easier to overlook these shortcomings. While not quite as well-appointed with a rainbow of ports as some other high-powered and high-priced USB-C hubs and docking stations, this is still a well-built, flexible, and capable hub for simplifying and unifying your multi-monitor workspace.

I have been searching for a Multi-Port for a long time and Im so glad I came across this one. I currently use a Samsung Chromebook which only has USB-C ports. This is such inconvenient because most of my electronics have a type A port. I have several SD and Micro SD cards with files I've been wanting to download to my computer. This Multi-Port Hub has made it so easy to transport all the files and images. It doesn't require a special program to be installed in order to work. You just plug it in and within seconds you have all that you need, Convenient for people who are not computer savvy like me :) but I try. Great to have different devices plugged in. It's small and light weight so it can be carried anywhere. I was able to utilize most of the ports. This device worked well with my chromebook, windows and my sons gaming laptop. Its power comes from the main source which in my case is my laptop so make sure you have enough power. It's definitely a must have device since now a days most of the electronics have different ports. I really love it and will surely get a lot of use around my home.

This is good for maybe more portable use, such as for a MacBook Pro maybe. But it is also fine for a Mac Desktop. Though it says Dual 4k as in dual display, there is small print on the inside cover of the flap of the box, that dual display doesn't work on certain Apple Silicone Macs like the M1, M2... It may mislead others but you'll have to get into technical details of this product and research, as well as check which Mac Model you would have and in the case of owning two macs, being a Mac Mini M1 and an M2 MacBook Air, they are correct - not supported. For example with the Mac Mini M1 desktop that supports only 2 displays, with the hub plugged into an available thunderbolt 3 usbc port having an HDMI plugged and a DisplayPort plugged into the hub, going out to the monitors to the same ports, just the display with the HDMI connection is working; I unplug the HDMI cable from the hub, which leaves the DisplayPort cable left plugged in and then it switches over to that display. Of course with the HDMI port on the back of my Mac Mini, I plug that in display with the HDMI connection and of course now I have both displays. MacBook M2 Air supports only 1 external, so you can connect a display and other USB accessories. If you have otherwise, a Mac Pro M1 Pro or M1 Max, the dual display should work. I'd read up on Apples website for more info since I do not have those machines. And with regards to Intel Macs from 2019, 2018 which I had a 2018 Intel Mac Mini i5, supports up to three. Now, a small caveat that I have found out using this connected to the DisplayPort, connected to my Sony Inzone M9 which has 144hz refresh rate which is on commonly the DisplayPort; it really limits to 95hz as I have checked in the display settings and it specifies the refresh rate. Now, I don't have a gaming PC with a DisplayPort, just a PS5 at the moment which only has HDMI. However, of course with my Mac Mini with 2 thunderbolt 3 ports, I have read it would work with a DisplayPort monitor, just that an adapter would be needed and that it is definitely showing a 144hz refresh rate. I can tell the different keeping my eyes on the mouse pointer and seeing how smooth it glides. Is it a big deal or a dealbreaker, I wouldn't think so and most people would want a direct connection with a DisplayPort cable if they truly want their higher (than 95) hz capability, and could use other ports for other purposes especially the HDMI port. This is a quite still a useful product and I would consider it a worthy investment.

Note: You need Thunderbolt3/4 or USB4 for this hub to work. As we have been working from home for years now, I have tried multiple options to extend my monitors with my company laptop. This hub has been the best and easiest solution so far. The setup was literally 2 minutes as everything was plug and play. I connected the USB-C cable of the hub into one of the two thunderbolt ports that my HP laptop has and then connected the Displayport cable into the displayport of this hub. And that's it. My laptop immediately recognized all three monitors and I was able to create a setup that works for my home office. I also tried the HDMI port of the hub with almost similar setup and got the same results. After the initial setup, I have been able to use both monitors for my day-to-day work without any issues. I have not been able to make it charge my laptop though. It is only able to provide 85W to your device but I think my laptop needs more. So, I have to keep my laptop plugged in using its own power supply and connect this hub to thunderbolt port. Also, in my opinion, it should have provided at least one more USB port. For my setup, I have wireless keyboard and mouse and each one of them need to be plugged into a USB port for 2.4G connectivity. It would have been great if this hub had 2 USB-A ports. So overall, while I am happy with the ease of dual monitor setup that this hub provides. I think it should have provided more value (specially for its price) by giving at least one more USB-A port and by providing output of 100W to power up all kind of laptops.